The movies, festivities and jaw dropping fashion continue at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. Nicole Kidman once again WOWS in a strapless blue printed L’Wren Scott (from their public displays of affection, her husband Keith Urban agrees completely), and in a jaw dropping leather 3/4 length Calvin Klein Collection dress.

Naomi Harris and Sonam Kapoor delighted in Dolce & Gabbana, as did Jennifer Lawrence and Marion Cotilliard in Christian Dior – the ladies go to designer. Nieves Alvarez upped the glamor quotient in the breathtakingly beautiful Ralph & Russo couture gown!

Did I miss one of your favorite dresses? Let us know!

1st Group – Clockwise from top left: Nieves Alvarez In Ralph & Russo Couture, Emma Watson In Louis Vuitton, Nicole Kidman In Calvin Klein Collection, Sonam Kapoor In Dolce & Gabbana, Doutzen Kroes in Calvin Klein Collection, Naomi Watts In Dolce & Gabbana.

2nd Group – Clockwise from top left: Nicole Kidman In L’Wren Scott, Jessica Biel In Marchesa, Marian Cotilliard In Christian Dior, Zoe Saldana In Emanuel Ungaro, Zhang Yuqi In Alexander McQueen, Jennifer Lawrence In Christian Dior.

The other day my pregnant friend was asking me my thoughts on the “hide it” or “flaunt it” philosophy to dressing while with child. I say, definitely flaunt it! Opt for stretchy clothes with body-con fits that accommodate an expanding belly. I love when women embrace their baby bump.

The breezy Isabel Marant skirt, with its elastic-waistband, is ideal to accommodate your growing tummy and the peasant paisley-print stretch jersey top will expand right along with it. J Brand has recently designed a maternity line of jeans/leggings. They’ve added soft elastic panels on each side of the waistband for room to grow with each passing month. Also, a higher back rise was added for extra comfort. Try pairing them with a deconstructed tee – Raquel Allegra’s Jersey Tee is perfect- you can do a half tuck while you’re in your early months, and it has room to grow with you in your later months. To show off that delicious baby bump American Apparel’s body-conscious striped dress (in stretch jersey) is perfect and you’ll be able to wear it after the baby’s born too.

You can be extra good to your mom-to-be friends, and let the dad in on the perfect gift for the soon-to-be mom – Monica Rich Kosann baby feet 18K gold charm with diamonds. On the flip side are raised beads and engraving for name, date of birth, weight and height. She’ll cherish it forever!!

Clockwise from top left: Isabel Marant Paisley-print Stretch Jersey Top $855.00 www.netaporter.com, Isabel Marant Paisley-print Sillk-guaze Skirt $845.00 www.netaporter.com, Raquel Allegra Deconstucted Jersey Tee $152.00 www.lagarconne.com, American Apparel Body-Conscious Striped Dress $61.09 www.asos.com, Monica Rich Kosann Baby Feet 18K Gold Charm $2,900.00 www.shop.mrkstyle.com, J Brand Maternity Legging $196.00 www.jbrandjeans.com.

Hollywood, actors, models and directors from around the world descended upon the French Riviera yesterday. The 2013 Cannes Film Festival will showcase over 90  movies – with about 20 films competing for the Palme d’Or, from May 15th to May 26th. Yet movies aren’t the only draw at Cannes, hundreds of gowns will grace the red carpet. Between all the many screenings, cocktail parties and charity events, celebrities can make up to 3 changes a day – Nicole Kidman donned Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior and Dior Haute Couture, and looked divine in each one!

Here are a few of my favorite look from day 1 of the 66th Cannes Film Festival.

Group 1 – clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Debicki, Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen, Cary Mulligan in Christian Dior, Zhang Ziyi in Dior Haute Couture, Naomie Harris in Calvin Klein Collection, Cara Delevingne In Burberry.

Group 2 – clockwise from top left: Cary Mulligan in Balenciaga, Solange Knowles In Stephane Rolland, Lana Del Rey, Nicole Kidman in Dior Haute Couture.

]]> http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/cannes-best-looks-nicole-kidman-a-standout/feed/ 0 kbcm Elizabeth Debicki a Nicole Kidman Cara Delevingne In Burberry Cary Mulligan In Christian Dior Naomie Harris in Calvin Klein Collection Zhang Ziyi in Dior Haute Couture Cary Mulligan in Balenciaga Solange Knowles In Stephane Rolland Nicole Kidman in Dior Haute Couture Lana Del Rey http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/are-they-fake-or-are-they-real/ http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/are-they-fake-or-are-they-real/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:21:22 +0000 kristin http://kbcm.wordpress.com/?p=15865 Continue reading →]]>

I love living in Santa Monica, and my walks to and from the beach. I especially like them when I take a detour onto Montana Avenue. The only problem is, with so many enticing boutiques and stores, I end up popping in to check out what’s new, and never quite get that cardiovascular workout.

Last Saturday’s walk had one of those detours, and one of my many stops was into the ultra fab beauty store Benefit. I have been on the search for the perfect mascara, that doesn’t cost a fortune, for some time now.

The sales girl promised me she had the PERFECT mascara – They’re Real!, in fact ” it was the number one selling mascara in the country “. Okay, I was intrigued, “Tell me more”. She went on to explain that They’re Real! promises to lengthen, curl, volumize, lift and separate lashes; big claims but she gave me statistics to back it up:

• 94% saw dramatic length & volume*
• 90% saw base-to-tip curl*
• 94% saw visible lift*
• 100% saw long-wearing results*

I was still a little dubious, at $23.00 it was a little more than I wanted to spend, but if I didn’t love it I could return it and get my money back. Can’t argue with that, I was sold!.

It took one application to know this mascara really was all they were saying (most of the magic seems to be in the brush). I loved it and received numerous compliments all day.

There is no way they are getting this mascara back!!

*Results observed in a consumer panel survey. Benefit They’re Real! Mascara $23.00

Lagerfeld’s 80 look collection (which he clarified was not a pre-collection but a full fledged one) spanned the gamut of a woman’s cruise needs; from gamine day wear, to forward thinking beach and apres lounge wear, to sublime cocktail and elegant evening dresses.

It’s a collection where you can glimpse touches of the graceful thirties in elegantly cut mid-calf dresses, British crickit and Asian characteristics in the vaguely batik-patterned pieces. Yet, as Vogue surmised, “Really, though, this was “about” the eternal relevance of Gabrielle Chanel’s inventions for a summer wardrobe in Deauville. ” You could see it in the first three exits of the low-belted jersey tunics paired with wide-leg pants and multiple ropes of pearls, and Coco’s sailor-striped T-shirts and pants were transformed in to high-waisted, wide-leg trousers worn with a top in the silhouette of an over sized t-shirt made from white leather and tulle. One could easily picture the Deauville tourist, lounging with friends, in the one-piece bathing suit and cashmere duster as the sun sets over the ocean.

After all this is a Resort collection.

Mother’s Love

Her love is like
an island in life’s ocean,
vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
‘Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro’ the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

Author Unknown

Dedicated to: Mom, Kim, Grace, Jeannie, Cheryl, Barbara, Trisha, Cathy L,  Cynthia D, Michelle F, Alexandra, Mimi, Laurie, Jill F, Michele G, Kari, Jane, Pam, Jill C, Cathy, Cynthia H, Stacey, Mary Ann, Mary Jane, Amy, Maria, Allison, Erin, Cathy N, Bonnie, Elizabeth, Heidi, Ia, Joanie, Lisa, Patti, Nancy, Sandy.

Lily Aldridge has a lot on her plate these days. Along side of her Victoria Secret’s gig, being a mom and wife to Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill, she recently added designer to her resume with her capsule collection – Lily Aldridge for Velvet.

With a schedule like that you must make every minute count, and that includes putting together uber chic looks in a New York minute.

Lily lends a pop of color to her AllSaints leather pants, J Crew vintage tee and Stella McCartney over sized wayfarer sunglasses with a pair of red Gianvito Rossi statement pumps. Add a brown croc-embossed leather tote by Joie and a touch of bling with an Ice Middleton Collar from Baublebar, and you’re out the door in no time flat. Looking simple, cool and chic I might add!!

Of course, we don’t all have Lily’s budget for clothes, and while not everything she’s wearing is pricey (J Crew tee and necklace from Baublebar), for everything else I’ve curated the same look for less!

Clockwise from top left: Black leather Look Olive Skinny Jeans $90.00 0n sale for $50.00 www.riverisland.com, J Crew Vintage Cotton T-Shirt $30.00 www.jcrew.com, Topshop Faux Leather Tote $72.00 www.nordstroms.com, Ice Middleton Collar $68.00 http://www.baublebar.com,  Le Specs Cat Eye Sunglasses $59.00 www.urbanoutfitters.com, Justine 4 by Boutique 9 Red Suede Pump $140.00 www.piperlime.com

After courting him for five years, and on the heels of their success with Proenza Schouler, Target announced its collaboration with Phillip Lim.

Debuting September 15, 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target will be a limited-edition collection of more than 100 items of apparel and accessories, including an assortment of bags, shoes and travel accessories, for women and men. Target describes the collection as having a classic Fall palette of neutral tones with a mix of basic prints in a variety of materials including chiffon, real leather, jersey and French terry. It will range in price from $19.99-$299.99 with most items under $49.99.

The question everyone is asking is where will it be made? Target works with many factories in Bangladesh, but with the recent building collapse at Rana Plaza two weeks ago, which claimed more than 900 lives, along with the eight people that were killed the day before yesterday in a clothing factory fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh; isn’t it time to ask when will we address the issue of labor in fashion. As the folks over at Racked asked, “Would you pay more for Target’s Phillip Lim collab if it were ethically made?” Let us know!!

]]> http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/target-finally-gets-his-man-phillip-lim/feed/ 0 kbcm http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/met-balls-most-inspired-looks-punk-couture-to-chaos/ http://kbcm.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/met-balls-most-inspired-looks-punk-couture-to-chaos/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 16:22:38 +0000 kristin http://kbcm.wordpress.com/?p=15765 Continue reading →]]>

This year’s Costume Institute Gala Benefit – celebrating the opening of the Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibition – was co-chaired by Rooney Mara, Moda Operandi creative director Lauren Santo Domingo, Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Some attendees obviously didn’t read the invitation, missing completely that the evening’s theme was based on the exhibition (Punk: Chaos to Couture), and were as boring as plain vanilla ice cream. Fortunately, there were those that took the theme to heart and delved into the task of creating a “punkish” ensemble with imagination and zeal.

Madonna won for the most passionate, true-to-the-theme look in a Givenchy blazer, thigh hi’s and bright pink pumps. Her Cleopatra wig topped off the look with her usual aplomb. Sarah Jessica Parker, in her divine combination of a Giles Deacon’s gown and velvet tartan plaid Louis Vuitton thigh-high boots, along with Ashley Olsen in a Chanel Haute Couture gown paired with a vintage Balmain jacket, were close runner-ups. They looked awesome!!

Other winners were Sienna Miller, who completely grasped the concept in a Burberry white low v-neck fitted dress topped off with a studded black motorcycle jacket. Nicole Richie expressed her inner punkdom by dying her hair grey. Her selection of a custom-made, beaded, column white Top Shop gown let her hair do the talking. The two were the epitome of chic punk.

Then there were those that celebrated the sexy side of punk – Anne Hathaway looked uber sexy in her see through vintage Valentino gown, and her platinum dyed locks. Ciley Myrus’s slinky fish net Marc Jacobs gown – though it covered more – and her blonde-tipped spiked hair had more of a punkish sexy flair to it.

I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the night’s co-host, Rooney Mara’s, Riccardo Tisci – another of the evening’s co-host – white lace, exaggerated shoulder dress with a high center split. Simply stunning!

Top section – from top left to right: Nicole Riche in Custom Top Shop,  Anne Hathaway in Vintage Valentino, Karolina Kurkova in Mary Katranzou, Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney, Gisele Bundchen in Anthony Vaccarello, Leelee Sobieski in Dior Haute Couture, Jessica Biel in Giambattista Valli, Dakato Fanning in Rodarte.

Bottom Section – from top left to right: Madanna in Givenchy, Diane Kruger in Chanel Haute Couture, Ashley Olsen in Chanel Haute Couture gown and a Vintage Balmain Jacket, Sienna Miller in Burberry, Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon and Louis Vuitton Boots, Rosie Huntington in Gucci, Rooney Mara in Riccardo Tisci, Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs.

2013 is turning out to be quite the year for Tom Odell. Besides riding the critical success of his 2012 EP, Songs From Another Love, touring the US (a long time dream of his) to rave reviews, and opening for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park this summer, Odell was named the BRITs’ Critics’ Choice Award winner, previously won by artists including Adele and Florence and The Machine. To top it off he was also announced as one of fifteen nominees for the BBC Sound of 2013 poll in January 2013.

It’s hard to believe that a young man of 22 (21 when he recorded Songs From Another Love) can write such poignant, passionate love songs coupled with music so magnificently formed. But, when you learn the Chichester born lad has been writing songs since the wee age of 13, and had the confidence to walk into pubs and clubs and ask to perform on the spot, not so much.

Odell spoke with Nowness about the his songwriting process and says his lyrics are inspired by his “inability to sustain a relationship with someone for longer than six months … I find that I write much better songs when I’m being honest, and writing about things that happen to me. It can get a little weird though, when friends or girlfriends work out that a song is about them. But it’s amazing what you can get away with it. Artistic license I think they call it.”

When discussing his debut studio album, Long Way Down, which is set to release on June 24th, the balladeer had this to say, “I hope the album feels human and real and that there are some flaws — because the flaws help make it what it is. Really, I’d love to live in a time when music felt uncontrived and imperfect and gave people a real sense of elevation. When it’s sad I want it to be REALLY sad. When it’s happy I want it to feel euphoric… I suppose I want the record to express the heightened feelings and emotions we all get in our lives.”

I love having something to look forward to!! Hurry up June 24th!